The outdoor person, either at work or recreation, is often faced with making repairs to his vehicle or articles he carries with him. All too often, the user finds himself trying to make repairs in remote locations and on an uneven, unsteady work surface. Also, it has been observed that such persons have a need for a stable work surface upon which to mount motors, power tools, vises, winches, barbecues and similar devices. It would be desirable for the user to have a stable work surface on which he could make repairs to his vehicle or do other productive work. It would also be desirable to have a work surface on which a wide variety of tools and other articles may be mounted.
One such solution to this problem is for the user to travel to a work site more suitable than the present location. However, a problem with such a solution is that the repair might be needed on the vehicle itself and the vehicle without repair is inoperable. Another problem with such a solution is the cost and time spent on traveling to a better work size. Often, need for repair arises at the most inopportune times and the better work place is not nearby.
Another such solution to this problem is a portable workbench. The workbench can be folded compactly for storage and brought out only when needed. More often than not, however, the workbench does not provide a stable work surface. The workbench would have to be very heavy in order to provide for a stable support for tools or other articles. This would pose a major problem with the portable quality of the workbench. Most often, the remote location where the repair is needed would be on an uneven ground and/or a ground having a soft surface, such as loosely packed dirt. A workbench would be unable to provide for rigid support on uneven ground, as workbenches usually have legs, unadjustable in length, for support. Also, the limited size of the workbench would make it unsteady when horizontal forces are applied. Such forces would be common when sawing or drilling.
The recreational vehicle user need not be the only one in need of making repairs at roadside or remote locations. Often, the construction worker finds himself in locations where facilities for most manual tasks, such as cutting, bending, shaping, and related activities are limited. The portable workbench presents the same problems for the construction worker as it does the recreational vehicle user, and probably even more so as the construction worker's tools are likely to be heavier and the work forces greater.
Thus, to date there is no satisfactory solution to the problem of an unsteady work surface providing accommodation for the mounting of tools and other articles being used for the repair of vehicles or other equipment in remote locations. The present invention clearly fulfills these needs.